Saints, Packers to share joint practice sessions before preseason game

This is interesting. Per NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan, the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers will be performing two joint practices when the Saints visit Green Bay during the week of their preseason matchup. The two teams play each other during Week 2 of the preseason — the NFL has not yet finalized a date and time for this exhibition matchup, but it should fall between Aug. 18 and Aug. 21.

The Saints have a history of practicing against their preseason opponents under Sean Payton, having hit the field along with the Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, and Houston Texans in recent years.

It is smart to have these joint practices, as facing off against the same players in practice for weeks on end can get stale. There is only so much you can use to surprise a defense when they’re facing the same playbook everyday. It is also another chance to see your players in action during the preseason. Adding new competition allows you to get new looks on both sides of the ball and gives you another chance to see players have to adjust to challenges.

There is a main obvious negative to having these joint practices, and it is a reason we are seeing the preseason shrink in the NFL: playing harder and in competitive scenarios opens you up to a greater risk of injury. With new personalities and skills sets added to the mix late in the summer, teams have to be mindful of managing workloads to avoid last-minute injuries. Fortunately Dennis Allen and his staff have been here before, and we should be in for a couple of fun (and hopefully insightful) practices when the Saints go up to Wisconsin.

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